Monday, February 15, 2010

What a weekend it was for the Art Community here in Kansas City! It started off Friday evening with a roaring success at ARTichokes Gallery in Mission Farms. ARTichokes consistently shows the regions best art, featuring artists that are as varied in medium as they are in subject.

I felt particularly proud as I entered the gallery. The featured artist is a delightful young woman that I have gotten to know well over the last 12 months. There on the largest wall of the gallery, I found the amazing work of Kristin Goering. Kristin works in Acrylics and is particularly adept in painting both Kansas and Colorado landscapes as well as vibrant florals and still life paintings.
Kristin is one of the happiest people you will ever meet; her beautiful smile and laugh make you want to get to know her. Her happiness is apparent in every one of her paintings!

The shows at ARTichokes are the result of hard work and love of art by both Becky Pashia and Megan Sutherland, the 2 owners of the Gallery. The two women consistently choose the right mix of artists and then hang the show, utilizing movable walls, creating a magnificent showcase for each individual artist. As a student at ARTichokes, I am always excited to enter the Gallery! Stop by and see what I mean, it is a great experience.

As if Friday evening wasn’t enough, along came Saturday and another thrilling art experience! The Kansas City Artist’s Coalition held their 27th Annual Art Auction in the Coalition’s gallery space in the River Market area. Each year, the Coalition holds this fund raiser, auctioning off pieces of art donated by the member artists. The auction is divided into both a silent auction and a live auction.. The official auctioneer was Colonel Wes E. Schlobohm, assisted by his father and cousin. With hundreds of pieces to auction, they kept it moving and fun. I always did like a man in a Stetson!

I am sorry to say I did not place a winning bid to bring home one of the treasures, but I met some wonderful artists and ran into many I already knew. The food and wine were delicious and the volunteers who worked throughout the evening did a magnificent job of keeping the hundreds of guests very happy.